Watching Harry
by VirginAuthor
Summary: Someone is worried about Harry so Dumbledore sends in his faithful spy to make sure he is OK. Will his opinion of the boy change? Will he leave Harry with his relatives? YOur basic Harry and Severus fanfic Not Slash Rated T to be safe
1. The Assignment

Hi all

Hi all. I am taking a quick break from my other story in order to free up some ideas. This is one that has been floating there for awhile but I am not really sure where it will go yet. It is open for suggestions. I hope you like.

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How the devil had he allowed the old coot to talk him into this? Severus Snape grumbled to himself as he strode down to the dungeons of Hogwarts. The old man had some kind of a spell over everyone he met. He could get a man to do anything, even this. Severus descended upon a group of students who scrambled away at the sight of his menacing scowl. He was in no mood for the rotten little brats. His only saving grace was that he had no more classes today.

He slammed the door to his office and strode to his desk. Here he threw himself into his chair and flung his head back massaging his temples. His mind wandered back to his latest conversation with the Headmaster.

"What is it now Albus?" Severus crossed his arms and glared at the Headmaster.

Albus Dumbledore gave a small smile from behind steepled fingers. "I have an assignment for you my dear boy." Severus scowled at the thought. Albus had a smile that meant it was an assignment Severus would not like. Because of this Severus' tone was more curt than normal.

"And what, pray tell, is this assignment and why was it so urgent that you felt the need to pull me from class to discuss it?"

Albus grew serious. There was no sign of the usual twinkle that seemed to follow the man around everywhere he went. The more Severus scowled, the more pronounced that damn twinkle became. The absence of the twinkle was actually very disconcerting. "It has come to my attention that a young student may be in a bit of trouble at home."

"And what has this to do with me?"

"It is a child of great interest. It has come to my attention that he may not be treated as well as we would like. I want you to go in and discover the truth of the matter. We cannot afford to have rumors flying about this boy. I have been told that if I do not send someone to investigate that this matter will be taken to the ministry of magic." At the last comment Severus heard a small smile in the voice of the Headmaster and the twinkle returned. "It seems that the person I have in charge of watching this particular child has become very protective as of late, but due to the circumstance, she cannot do much."

Severus merely waiting for the old man to stop. "And what exactly do you want me to do?"

"You will take next week to investigate. You are a spy after all. I think it is something you will be able to handle with relative ease." Severus ignored the compliment. Sometimes getting the Headmaster to get to the point was irritating. There was never a direct answer to any question. There was obviously something he was not going to like about this.

"You want me to leave in the middle of the year for this? Who will cover my classes?"

Albus chuckled. "While I am not nearly as experienced as you my dear boy, I am still a fair hand at potion brewing. It would not be considered an impossibility that I could cover your classes. Knowing you, I am sure you already have lesson plans for the next month all ready."

Severus snorted. The next two months were planned actually. He had many personal projects going so he tried to plan as far ahead as he dared so that he had more time to himself. He did not particularly like teaching, but his advanced classes could be quite stimulating. Besides, what use would he be to Albus if not here at Hogwarts? Severus finally sighed and rolled his eyes. He uncrossed his arms and leaned back in the chair.

"Alright Albus. Who is the child?"

"A Mr. Harry Potter."

Severus bolted upright, a look of pure fury on his face. "What? No, no no no no no no no. I absolutely refuse. I have no time to run around for a week catering to the demands of James Potters' spawn. I have no desire to do so and I will not. Before you even say anything, I know I agreed to protect him. That does not mean I will be his babysitter for a week because some crazy old bat thinks he is in danger."

After his little tirade Severus sat back. After a few deep breaths, he smoothed his hair back and glared down his large nose at Albus. Albus sat quietly watching him without flinching. "Finished?"

Severus nodded feeling slightly embarrassed by his outburst. "Well then allow me to continue. Mrs. Figg has been watching Harry since he was placed there six years ago. She has come to me before with concerns over Harry's health, but with nothing to back it up I did not want to intrude upon their lives. I was not willing to cause an upheaval for something that was speculation with no proof. Recently she noticed a slight change in Harry and he has been walking funny while going to school. He has not been outside as much and he rarely talks. Because of these concerns, I have decided it is time to investigate. I want you to go to check on him and I want you to watch him for more than a day or so."

"Why not Minerva or you? Surely you are not suggesting that I am the best person to do this. Not with my history." Severus decided that reason was the only way to get out of this.

"Simple. Minerva would do wonderfully with the assignment. However she did not like the arrangement in the first place. She would use this as an excuse to remove him within the first day. You however will not be so quick to remove him because of your history. There are wards for his safety. We know he is protected from Voldemort now we must make sure he is protected from his family. As to your other suggestion, I cannot go. I do not want the ministry to get even a hint of what we are doing. If it is suggested by anyone that Harry is in danger from his relatives, it will be a feeding frenzy with a small boy in the middle. If I leave for a week unexpectedly they will become suspicious."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "But it will not be suspicious if I leave for a week?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, but my dear Severus, no one will know you are gone. I will be playing both parts. A little polyjuice potion and I think I will be able to pull of the part well enough."

Severus snorted at the part. "You will ruin my reputation in a day."

The conversation had continued and in the end Severus had agreed. How did the old man do it? Even the most cunning Slytherin could leave doing the old man's bidding. It was strange to say the least. Severus heaved a sigh and began to prepare for next week's little trip.

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That is just the start. I know it is short but I want to see how it is received before adding a ton more. Oh and as a warning, (especially if you have read my other story), I love cliff hangers so be prepared. I do make it up by updating quickly however. You usually do not have to wait more than a day or two. Hope you like it.


	2. Meeting Mr Snape

Oh the humiliation continues

Oh the humiliation continues. Severus Snape decided early the next week that death was too good for Albus Dumbledore. Oh no, he would not let the old man off that easily. At first he thought that jellied eels could be a nice touch. Yes eels shoved somewhere like in his socks. Hmmm, no not nearly evil enough. Next he thought of the hat that never stopped singing. It was only audible to the person wearing it. Severus had seen it in Diagon Alley only weeks earlier. He could charm it to never leave Dumbledore's head. He would have to listen to those damn songs over and over and over again. Of course the Headmaster would probably be deliriously happy with the gift and would sing along to the tune. It would soon become torturous to Severus. No that was no good.

That was when he had settled on something cute and cuddly. Something like a man eating dust bunny. It would live under Albus' bed and when the coot least expected it…Chomp! Off would go a toe. He would never guess it was the bunny. Slowly, he would lose small parts of his body every time he set foot on the floor. Yes, that could work. Not even Albus Dumbledore could be happy with no toes.

Severus smiled for the first time in a week. It was a dark smile and it sent a number of people verily across the street. They did not know what the dark man was thinking of, but that look said it was not good. The scowl returned as his thoughts drifted back to one of the last conversations he had had with the Headmaster.

"Well my boy, it seems you are almost ready. I do wish to have a word with you about…well about your attitude."

"What is wrong with my attitude?"

"Well Severus, nothing is wrong with it, but muggles like their teachers to have a little more of a smile when they are teaching. You will be attempting to gain Mr. Potter's trust so a little smile would help. And it would not hurt to be a little more, shall we say, chipper?"

Severus shuddered at the thought of the word chipper. No one in their right mind would ever consider him to be anything of the sort. Through gritted teeth he muttered, "Speak for yourself. I have never been chipper nor do I intend to start now."

"Now now my boy. If I can pull off the dour potions master" Severus barely contained his snort. "You can pull off a happy young teacher ready to mould young minds. Besides you might find you like it."

"I highly doubt that. For all you know it could scar me for life and then what would you do? Anyway, it is not like I will be dealing with a lot of children. You are sending me to tutor the…child."

"Hmmm, it seems you can censor your comments, a bit anyway." Severus noted that at this time the twinkle in Albus' eyes had grown considerably. He felt his heart drop. This would not be good. "And Severus, when did I ever say the word tutor?"

And so that was how he found himself standing in front of a primary school with children running around him screaming at the top of their lungs. Already he could feel his headache increase and he had not even made it to the school door. With a resigned sigh he straightened the dark jacket he wore. His pants and shirt had remained the customary black that he preferred. Albus had suggested something warm and bright. He had suggested, he had not insisted. Severus' hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. His pale features looked less batlike without their usual curtain of greasy locks but they were no less severe.

He watched the children as they ran and screamed around him. They were much younger than those he taught at Hogwarts and the young witches and wizards he taught were bad enough. He actually enjoyed teaching the advanced classes because those were students that were interested in the subject. He felt like more of a teacher and less like a babysitter. With a final shudder Severus Snape headed through the school doors. The muggle clothing he wore was tight and restrictive. He felt he could not move or breathe with it on and that did not improve his mood.

Luckily it was not yet time for the little brats to enter the building so at least there was some semblance of peace and quite. As he walked into the front office he decided he had spoken too soon. There sat a woman looking completely frazzled. She was a young blond woman with an extremely messy bun. At her desk were piles and piles of papers, all scattered haphazardly around. Even now she was shifting various piles, obviously looking for something and yet she was not meeting any success. The phone rang every few minutes and the woman would jump, grab the phone and attempt a conversation as she scrambled around the desk for a pen.

Of course she could not find a pen because they were all sticking at various angles from her head. Her glasses were perched precariously upon her head and they threatened to fall every time she moved. It could have been considered comical if he were not in such a bad mood. He was not known as a patient man, but he had learned that sometimes you must be patient. He stood perfectly still, waiting for the young woman to look up. He studied her face carefully as he waited. Her cheeks were flushed and pink from the movements around the desk. As she hung up the phone he heard her mutter something about her glasses.

After a minute more fumbling at the desk Severus finally took pity on the poor woman and he approached the desk. With a soft sigh he reached into her hair making her jump and removed the glasses. The startled woman laughed softly as he placed the glasses on her face. "Oh my, I didn't notice you there. Thank you. Please tell me you are one of my subs."

Severus nodded. "Professor Severus Snape." He gave no more information. The young woman leaned over and shook his hand. The touch caught him off guard. Most would not dare to touch the menacing potions master. He was not sure if he liked the fact that he did not seem to intimidate her. Behind her glasses blue eyes smiled.

"I'm Miranda Stevens. I am the principal at the school. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am sorry you had to arrive during such a hectic day." She indicated the debris that covered her desk. "It seems that there is a very nasty bug out there right now. We are down three teachers and my secretary and now even some of the subs are calling in sick. I am afraid I am a poor substitute for my secretary. She knows where everything is and she would have had this straightened out in a jiffy." She rattled on some more. Severus continued to watch her in silence. Finally she seemed to run out of steam.

"Well, shall I show you to your classroom? You will be filling in for Ms. Winters. The students should be arriving shortly." Without waiting for him to reply she headed out the door. She leaned her head into the nurses' office. "Wendy, can you man the fort. I am going to show Mr. Snape the room. Oh and if any of the other subs come in please have them wait for me or have Barney show them to their rooms. Thanks."

They lapsed into silence for the next minute or so. Miranda pointed out the various places such as the gym, the emergency exits and the cafeteria. Before long they had reached a small room. She opened the door and introduced him to his new hell…home for the next week. It was very small with little desks and little chairs and little everything. There were baskets of pencils and crayons and papers. There was a large desk up front with an old chalkboard behind that. Despite the size, the room was very bright. The sun was shining in making the room seem larger than it really was. Again he began to question just what he had gotten into here.

"If you have any questions, feel free to find me. They are generally well behaved children so they shouldn't be much of a bother. Diane is an excellent disciplinarian." At that Severus smiled.

"Well, we have that in common then." His voice was soft and low. It startled Miranda because he had not said more than a few words to her the entire time. Maybe that was why she felt the need to prattle on as she had been doing. She needed to fill the space. He had turned away from her to fully investigate the room. She took this as her cue to leave.

When he heard the door shut Severus sat down at the desk. He placed his head in his hands. It was going to be a very long day and he could only imagine what Albus was doing right now. He was probably giving away house points left and right. Severus growled at the thought. No one earned points in his class…well except for his Slytherins. In fact it was considered a great class if no one lost points. Knowing Albus, they were probably brewing euphoria potions and liquid sunshine. Oh he was going to have to spend weeks reestablishing his well earned image.

Severus huffed in his seat. He looked down and noticed numerous pieces of paper. There were the lesson plans for the next week. He sighed and began to read. Anything to get his mind away from twinkling blue eyes.

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The monsters came in shortly after that. They barreled in like a group of rambling gypsies. They were shouting to their friends and laughing loudly. One particularly fat child was making rude farting sounds much to his friend's enjoyment. Slowly they filled into their seats. They were still talking much too loudly. Severus cleared his throat but that did not work. He tried again with a similar response. If anything, the volume of the room increased.

He rolled his eyes and picked up a long thin ruler. With a crack he smacked the front desk. The entire class jumped. They stared wide eyed at the dark man before them. He gave a small smile which did nothing to help settle their hearts. They were now all quiet, no one dared whisper a word. He began to scan the room before speaking. When he did, his voice was low, almost caressing. He watched as they watched him warily.

"As you can see your regular teacher is not here today. She had an emergency and she will be out for the week. I will be filling in all week. I understand that it is customary for you to call your teachers Mr. or Mrs. Where I usually teach we are referred to as Professor. Therefore you will refer to me as Professor Snape. Have I made myself clear?" He eyed the room. No one dared move.

That was when he saw the boy. He was young but he had similar dark hair to that of his father. His head was slightly downcast but he caught a glimpse of green. Not quite how he remembered Lily's eyes but there were enough similarities. He felt a sneer form on his face. The young boy seemed to take no notice. Severus continued.

"I will allow no disrespect. If I tell you to do something you will do it. If I tell you to redo something, you will do. I expect quiet in the classroom and all must raise their hands if they need assistance or they wish to ask a question. You will finish all homework and class work in a neat and timely fashion. Now, on to roll call."

He flipped open a small piece of paper and began to call out names. Most children were present and accounted for. He did not care about them. He was concerned with one name and one name only. He soon reached it. He tried but he was not completely successful as keeping the scorn from his voice.

"Harry Potter." He glanced at the young man he had seen earlier, but the young man remained silent. So he is going to mock me is he. The little brat was too good for school was he? Just like a Potter. He walked closer to the boy and repeated the name.

"Harry Potter." Still, the boy did not move. From the corner of his eye, Severus saw a small hand waving. He glanced over. The hand was coming from somewhere behind the large whale of a boy he had noticed earlier.

"Yes?" He barely managed to keep the contempt from his voice. This little child was interrupting roll call.

A small voice could now be heard. "I'm here sir." He stepped closer in order to hear better.

"Excuse me?"

"You called my name sir. I was merely indicating I was indeed here."

"You are Harry Potter? Well stand up so I can see you better boy, I cannot see you all the way in the back like that." The small child complied. Severus stared at the boy wide eyed. He was not sure what he had expected but this was certainly not it. Oh yes, the old man owed him for this.

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Thank you for all the reviews. I am glad that you are enjoying it so far. For those of you who have read my other story I will be posting a new sequel soon. Please read. I am always open for ideas or lines you would like to see incorporated in the story. Any ideas I receive from readers are credited so please do not hesitate.


	3. Tanagrams

Oh the humiliation continues

Sorry it took so long to update. With Mother's Day and such I just haven made it to the computer much the last few days. Hope it's worth the wait. Thank you for everyone who has reviewed. Thank you to BDSanta2001 for the great idea. It will be added in the upcoming chapters. You always have great ideas. Ok, enough talk from me, on with the story…

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Severus blinking just top be sure he was not seeing things, but the small boy was still just standing there. The room and all its noises seemed to fade away as Severus studied the child. He was small, far shorter than his other classmates, and his skinny arms poked out of a jumper that was much too big for him. The sleeves were rolled up as far as they would go and they still hung to the child's elbow. Maybe that was why he looked to small. Dark hair obscured Severus' view of his face. The hair was definitely a Potter trait. It didn't lie flat on his head. Instead it was sticking up in all directions. The longer locks just added to the scruffy appearance of a child who is not uncared for, but a child who is not cared about.

Severus glanced to the young boy sitting in the front row again. This boy was laughed and joking with friends. He was throwing looks back and forth between a few peers. His hair was the same dark color, but not the messy locks from James Potter. The eyes were not the same shade as Lily's. No one could have those exact eyes, but they were green. Really, those were the only two things that would tie him to James and Lily Potter. So why had he assumed that this child was Harry Potter?

He glanced again at Potter. He was shifting uncomfortably on his feet. He did not say anything but his feet were in constant movement. Severus glanced at the small frame and mentally sighed. Outwardly he attempted to remove the scowl from his face. "You may sit down Mr. Potter."

The child scrambled to do as told. Again he was hidden by the enormous bulk of the boy in front of him. Severus scanned down the list. He was trying to remember the boy's name. He found it near the top. Dudley. He shook his head. Muggles and their names. He continued down the list, coming to the name Bret Stevens. This is when the youth at the front raised his hand.

Finally it came time to begin lessons. Severus glanced down at the notes left by the teacher. He was to start with math. He read the notes about tanagrams. What in the name of Merlin were tanagrams? He glanced at the clock. The day had just begun and his head was starting to pound. Oh yes, the old man owed him.

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After only two and half hours, Severus was ready to hand in his resignation to Albus. He was not cut out to teach these small monsters. Oh yes, they were extremely well behaved he thought with a sarcastic shake of his head. He had been hit by no less than twelve spit balls. All while he had his back turned. The innocent looks that stared back at him did not help the situation. Albus had forbid him from using magic on the children. He could not use the typical form of punishment at Hogwarts. They did not have detention here and he certainly could not have the muggle children cutting open flobberworms.

He sighed. Now he refused to turn his back which made teaching the cretins a bit difficult. He did not know about muggle history or their teaching methods. He had never really wanted to become a teacher. McGonagall really would have been better for this assignment. He was sure of it.

At least his scowl still worked and his cunning Slytherin brain was still working. He had not understood the tanagram assignment so he had quickly asked the only student who seemed to know what they were doing to hand out the materials. Most were on task after that, though some were constantly talking and refusing to work.

Severus began to feel the vein in his forehead throb. He did not know how to discipline these children. He could not deduct points or give them detention. He could not string them up or use magic against them. Albus had been adamant about what he could not do to these children. How did muggle teachers do this? They were starting to get out of control and he could feel his minimal control slipping.

To top it off, he could not put his finger on the reason why he was having such a hard time believing the small youth in the back was Harry Potter. He did not trust himself to back and look closer at the boy. He watched young Bret in the front laughing with his buddies. Severus' glares only stopped them for a few minutes before they would start again.

That was when it hit him. The youth only had a few similar characteristics to those of Lily and James but his attitude was very like that of James. He had the look of a well loved individual who had friends and was well taken care of. He had the same cocky air as James Potter. That was why he had assumed that was Potter.

Looking back at the small bent head, he did not see the personality he had expected. The messy locks fell forward over his eyes and his pencil moved oddly in his left hand. He never once spoke up or asked a question. It was as if he was trying to be invisible. He did not talk to anyone or even try to meet another child's eyes. He simply sat and did his work. When he was finished, he sat quietly at his desk or stared off into space. He was not loud and brash as James Potter was. He was not quiet and warmly inviting as Lily was. This simply could not be Potter.

Tanagrams only lasted so long before the noise level increased beyond Severus' precarious hold on his sanity. With a slam of books, he moved on to the next lesson…mathematics. The lesson was shaky at best. He had never had to teach this to children before. It was simple things like subtraction and addition, but he had never had to teach it. He felt his blood begin to boil as he looked up to see that most were not paying attention anyway. That was when he had been hit with spit ball after spit ball. It had been all he could do to not hex the entire group of them. He took a steadying breath. His voice was low and menacing. Albus had merely said he couldn't actually hex them, he said nothing about threats.

"If I catch the person who is throwing the vile disgusting things, I assure you, you will regret it." The quiet threat seemed to do what the glares could not. The entire class snapped to attention. He felt the headache recede somewhat. Until he had turned his back and had been hit with another spit ball.

He spun around only to be confronted by innocent little faces. It was then that he thought he saw the movement from the large boy, Dudley. Severus saw him place something under his desk. It was then that he knew which child had done this. He considered calling the boy out, but soon decided against it. What would he do with the boy? He still did not know about the discipline strategies of the muggle teachers.

His hands were concealed under the desk. Screw Albus he thought. With a quick flip of his wrist, Dudley's desk top flew open and papers, pencils, and an old sandwich all flew into the air. The class began to laugh as Dudley went red in the face. All his possessions were now scattered across the room. Severus merely gave him a small satisfied smile.

"Really Mr. Dursley, must you cause such a racket. Pick up your materials immediately."

The fat little boy scrambled to do as he was told. Severus watched as the small boy behind Dudley was attempting to cover a smile. Dudley looked up and saw the smile. Severus could not hear or see the exchange, but Harry's head was soon shaking back and forth. He was mouthing something to the large boy. 'Don't look at me.' Strange, what was that all about?

Soon the class settled back somewhat. They finished up math work as Severus began to look at their previous class work. Most seemed to do alright, though a few were just downright atrocious. He smiled to see that the dunderhead Dudley was all brawn and no brain. He glanced down at Potter's paper next. His eyes widened in disbelief. How did the child expect him to read this? The writing was abysmal. He could barely distinguish the words, they were sloppy and poorly formed. Just then the bell rang to signal recess. The children scrambled to go.

"Mr. Potter, a word please." The small youth had been moving slowly. He was almost to the door when he stopped at Severus' voice. He gave a small nod. Dudley walked past and bumped the child on the right. Harry winced but made no sound. Severus listened as Dudley muttered to the smaller child.

"You'll pay for your little trick. I don't know how you did it, but you will pay. No one makes a fool out of me." Severus thought about stepping in then, but Harry spoke for the first time that day.

"I don't need to make a fool out of you Dudders, you do that all on your own." The comment was quiet and sure. Severus started at that comment. Maybe there was some Potter or some Evans in there. They could both certainly stand up for themselves. Severus waited for everyone to leave. He beckoned to Harry to approach the desk. It was the closest he had come to the child ever. When he looked up, he almost dropped the book in his hands. He felt his heart painfully constrict.

There in front of him stood a miniature version of his hated enemy. The boy that had tormented him all those years and that had somehow ended up with the love of his life. There he stood, an exact copy. At first he felt the fury and rage build up in his chest. How dare this boy be here. Sure he was smaller than James ever was at this age, and he had the air of an uncared for child, but this boy should not be here. Lily should be here. The rage began to boil over, but that soon turned into anguish.

The boy looked up and for the first time Severus saw his eyes. Albus had told him he had Lily's eyes, had told him to be careful, but he was not prepared. There in front of him stood his enemy with his love's eyes. They were perfect replicas of Lily's. Never would he have dreamed that anyone could recreate their color, their intensity, but here before him stood a boy who had them.

It was painful, and the boy seemed to realize that something was not right. He blinked and the spell over Severus was broken. His usual scowl came back. He picked up the paper Harry had turned in earlier.

"What is this?" He glanced at it and looked back at Severus.

"My paper sir." The reply was quiet. Something about it made Severus' blood boil. That is a tone that Potter had used many times to insinuate that it was obvious. He did not even stop to think that the boy was just a quiet talker. He saw his father and assumed that was the attitude young Potter was giving. This feeling made his reply short.

"Well I would not know that Mr. Potter because I cannot read it. All your other classmates have managed to make their writing legible. How is it that you could not?"

"I'm sorry sir." No explanations, no excuses, just an apology. "I will try harder next time." That threw Severus off guard. He didn't know how to react because he had expected a different response. He had expected the child to huff and talk back just as his father would have done. Maybe that was why he let him go, why he had been lenient. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, see that you do. It is unacceptable."

"Yes sir, sorry sir. It won't happen again." Severus waved the boy off, and Harry left the room at a slow run. Severus watched him, thinking something was off in the way the child moved, but he could not put a finger on it.

He glanced at the clock. Lord time moved slow. Severus placed his head in his hands. He was not going to survive, and if he died here, he was going back to Hogwarts to haunt Dumbledore.


	4. Maybe I Won't Kill Albus

So sorry this took so long to update

So sorry this took so long to update. It has been a really busy time. I had to work a lot more and I just have not had time. Sorry sorry sorry. Hope you all still enjoy this. I will try to update sooner in the future. Thank you for all the reviews.

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It seemed that no time had passed before the little terrors were back from their short play break. Severus continued to massage his temples. He glanced at the clock. He had another hour and a half before the little cretins went to lunch and he would have a longer break. Severus sighed and stood, snarling at a small group of children to quiet them. It actually cowered them a bit and he felt his headache subside a bit. At least the death looks still worked. Albus had said no magic or detention but maybe this would be effective. His mind wandered back to the Headmaster. His voice floated through Severus' mind.

"_Oh and Severus….Don't make the children cry." _

_Albus had winked at the scowling professor who had sniffed disdainfully. "It is hardly my fault that these children cannot take constructive criticism but I shall try." Severus had emphasized the word try. _

_Severus swept away from the chuckling Headmaster. AT least he got the last word in this way. Of course, he spoke too soon. A voice came from behind him._

"_That is all I ask…for now." Severus stopped in his tracks but did not turn around. After a moment he continued on again. Damn that man, he always seemed to get the last word._

The scowl he placed on his face was not his fiercest, but it was working for the moment. He allowed a small smile to escape. It was neither reassuring nor happy. The students shivered at their substitute. "Now, I believe that your teacher wants you to read silently to yourselves for fifteen minutes after your break. I suggest you do that." He heard the scrambling of papers, desks, and small hands as the children rushed to do as he said.

He watched over them all carefully, especially the rather large one that sat in front of Potter. He seemed to be the one that others followed and yet the boy did not seem the brave nor intelligent type. In fact, he was watching Severus with wide eyes. Severus flashed a malicious smile at the boy. He almost laughed as he saw the boy swallow hard. The boys adams apple bobbed and his eyes grew wide. Ah yes, his headache was almost gone.

The next hour went by quickly. He had learned that there were two children that sat in the front that knew all the rules and the schedule. They were your classic suck ups and Severus smirked at them, but he knew he needed them. One look and they were scrambling to get the necessary materials or to let him know what they had previously worked on. It made the job almost bearable.

All the while, he tried to keep his eyes on the young boy in the back. His dark head was bent over his paper and he was writing with painstaking strokes. He was sitting with his tongue poking from the side of his mouth. At ever noise he would jump slightly and glare at the boy in front of him. Severus raised an eyebrow as he watched the child. Harry was not anything like what Severus had been expecting and he wasn't really sure how to deal with it. He was the absolute spitting image of his father and yet never once had he raised his head or his hand to contradict Severus. Surely James Potter would have jumped at the opportunity to put the bat in his place.

Severus had to shake the thought loose. Just the thought of James Potter was enough to bring his blood pressure up. He was just now getting control of these children and if they say him lose any iota of his own control, they would feed upon it. They were like animals, they could smell fear and they reacted to it. He glared out at the students one more time just to cower them one more time.

He was under no delusions. He knew that his glares would only work if he had something to back it up. He really needed to figure out what these damn muggles did for punishments. Albus had told him nothing about this part except that his usual forms of punishment would not work. He knew he would have to swallow his pride and ask someone, but he certainly was not going to ask any of these students. That would reveal a weakness, and Severus Snape did not reveal anything that could even be considered a weakness.

Before he could blink, the day was over. As they ran from the room with a yell he placed his head in his hands. Finally he could relax a bit. He had dared not even sit because he did not want the students to think he was letting down his guard and getting comfortable. Merlin it was going to be a long week. He was startled as he felt a small hand on his shoulder. A quiet voice spoke up. "Sir?"

Severus bolted up ready to hex anyone that dared to startle him so. His heart was pounding wildly. He looked up in fright to come face to face with a miniature version of James Potter. Being startled by the spitting image of one's worst enemy was not great for one's mood. He snapped at the young child. "What is it Potter?" He was angry that he had been caught off guard and even angrier that it was this tiny snippet of a child that was in front of him.

Little Harry backed away quickly from the desk, his eyes wide. He stumbled and stammered apologies. "Sorry sir. I didn't mean….I'm sorry." Severus felt his heart slow down and he took a deep breath. He felt the energy drain from his body. It had been a very long day and he did not even have the energy to bluster at the child.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just get on with it Potter. I am not in the mood."

Harry made no comment but Severus heard the rustling of papers. He opened his eyes to see the Potter child struggling with his ratty old backpack. From the depths he pulled out a pile of papers. He was holding the backpack awkwardly in his left hand as he shoved the papers in Severus' face.

"What is this Potter?"

"The paper you asked me to do over. I finished the rest of my work so I thought I would get it finished before I left today."

Severus glanced down at the sheaf of paper. The letters were still a bit sloppy, but they were legible. The child had obviously worked very hard to redo the work. Severus raised his eyebrows at this. That was certainly unexpected. He had thought the boy would rush through it at home or turn it in late. James Potter certainly would not have taken the extra time to redo it well. He looked down at the dark head now bent over trying to zip up the bag.

"Thank you Potter. Try to make sure the rest of your work is in the same legible condition." Harry looked up, startled. He stammered again.

"Of course sir." He looked down at his backpack again. It was pressed against his small body. His right elbow was holding it tight against his body as his left hand struggled to zip it up. Something seemed very odd about that. Potter didn't seem to have any difficulties moving around so something as simple as a zipper should not be causing these kinds of problems.

Harry finally got the bag closed when the child looked up to see Severus staring. Harry ducked his head and mumbled a hasty goodbye. Severus reached out and caught by his bag. The child swung around, fear evident in his eyes. He licked his lips. "Yes sir?"

Severus did not know quite what to say. He usually had no problem forcing children to talk, but something in the child's eyes stopped him. Something was not right. Severus glanced down at the right arm which was covered by an over large jumper. The child was not holding it awkwardly or seeming to baby it. Severus raised a brow. He decided that he might as well try the direct approach. "Is your hand paining you Potter?"

The boy looked up wide eyed. "No sir. It is fine." Severus gave the boy a look to show that he did not believe him. Harry just hung his head and spoke again. It was so quiet that Severus had to strain to hear. "Please, I have to go."

"In a hurry Potter?" Harry looked up at this. Now he was looking directly at Severus and he felt the heat of Lily's eyes. It knocked the breath from his body. He had not seen that look in years.

"I have chores before I finish my homework. My aunt and uncle expect me home soon."

The child pulled slightly from Severus' grip. The man let the boy go and watched, still trying to catch his breath. He felt tears prickle his eyes. With a shake he forced them away. He turned and walked swiftly to his desk. He had just sat down when another voice interrupted his thoughts. There stood the principal, looking less like a birds nest. Her hair was now all in place and her glasses were pushed up on her head. She no longer had pencils and pens sticking out everywhere. She looked up seeming much calmer than earlier. She smiled at him. She really was not as frazzled as he originally thought.

"How was your first day?" He did not smile or bother to get up. He was too tired. In fact, he didn't even bother to answer, just gave her a look. She laughed. It was full of happy understanding. He was not sure if should be annoyed at her or not. "It was that good I take it."

He sighed. "I am simply used to older students. My teaching methods were not designed for these young children."

"Oh, what age do you usually work with?" He looked up to see that the woman was genuinely interested. She had pulled up a small child's chair and sat down next to him, fully prepared to have her questions answered. He shrugged his shoulders. It would not hurt for her to know, after all, she would know about discipline tactics here.

"Children between 11 and 18."

"Do you teach full time there or are you just a sub there as well?" He was startled by the question. Severus had assumed the woman would now move on in the conversation. He frowned at her. Luckily he had a story prepared that would explain his appearance during the middle of the year.

"I teach full time at a …boarding school. I am taking some time off however."

"You are taking time off from teaching… by teaching?" She gave him an amused look. He frowned again at her, but it did not wipe the look from her face. Obviously she was more observant than he had thought. He thought for a moment before answering. To the casual observer it would appear that he was debating whether or not to reveal something painful to her or not.

He sighed and made his face fall slightly, giving his face a sad dejected look. He saw the sympathy in her features. _Ha, you are mine._ He smiled to himself. This was almost too easy. Luckily he was fast on his feet. He turned the slightly sad eyes to her. "Well, my aunt lives here. She has not been doing well, so I took some time off in order to care for her. She does not have a lot of money, so I thought I could help out a little bit while I was here."

He had learned that many people responded to sadness and personal tragedy. He had her exactly where he wanted her. He could see her face and he knew that she would be happy to drop discussions into his past now and she would probably help him with discipline. Her hand was on her heart.

"Oh that is too bad. You must love your aunt very much to do this."

He sighed, "Yes, well, family must stick together. They are holding my place at the school, but this is the least I can do. It is very different though. Here we do not have detention, which is the main form of discipline. I must admit that I do not to do with students that are acting out."

She looked at him and smiled. "Well, we do not have detention, but I would be happy to help you with some other ideas. You will be with us for the rest of the week, and I am happy to do anything I can to help out. After all, you must be exhausted after caring for your aunt and then having to work on top of it."

"Thank you. But I would appreciate it if you would keep that to yourself. People mean well, but sometimes they can be more of a hindrance than a help." She nodded at him and proceeded to help with behavior planning.

He gave her a grateful smile. Inside he laughed a bit. Really, people were much too easily manipulated. He glanced out the window. He had survived his first day. Only four more to go and he could escape his hell. He huffed another silent sigh. Maybe Albus doesn't deserve to die. I can handle this. No snotty children will get the better of Severus Snape.

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Ok, there you go. I even have a plan for the next chapter already, so now I just need to find the time to write it so it should be up in a day or so. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I hope this one is a bit better than previous chapters as far as being consistent to school and such. Thanks again.


	5. Albus Must Die

Ok, I seem to be writing this a lot. Sorry sorry sorry, it is taking forever for me to update. I hit some writers block with my other HP story and I also got another story stuck in my head that was not leaving so I had to start that one too. But finally, here you go, the next chapter in Watching Harry. Thank you to all the reviewers. I think you will be surprised at how this turns out, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

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Oh no, Death was definitely too good for Albus. He could handle thirty snotty nosed brats, he could handle not being able to use his magic, and he could handle having to babysit his enemy's only child, but this was too much. Severus had been told that accommodations had been made for him.

He had followed the directions to a small house amongst many other small houses. It had looked pleasant enough. It had the feeling of an old grandmother about it. It was not Severus' style, but it looked like it would work. He had just returned from a very long session with the principal. Miranda Stevens was a kind hearted woman that had more brains than he first thought, but she was still exhausting.

He had asked for a few simple tips on discipline and she had sat with him for two hours coming up with plans for the children. It seems that 'positive reinforcement' was a specialty of hers and when you got her going there was not stopping her. His head was swimming with all of her suggestions. Many of them involved praising. Not really one of his strong suits so he was now wondering how he was going to pull this off.

His head was again pounding as he walked up to the small house. All he wanted was some dinner and a bed. He still wanted to floo Albus to check on his classes. He wanted to know how much damage he would have to repair after the grinning buffoon was finished for the day. Just that thought was enough to bring on a new wave of pain from his increasing headache.

He knocked the door and was greeted by an elderly woman with rollers in her hair covered by a hairnet. She wore a fluffy bathrobe and large tartan slippers on her feet. Severus felt his eyes widen. He looked to the side to make sure he had the correct address. The woman spoke up. "Yes? May I help you?"

He coughed. "Ah yes. Is Mrs. Figg here?" In the back of his mind he chanted a prayer that this was the wrong address. He had written it down wrong and it was down the street. These hopes were dashed when the old woman smiled broadly at him.

"Mr. Snape I presume?"

He forced a smile on his face. The look startled the old woman and she took an involuntary step beck. "Ah, yes ma'am."

"Ah, well Dumbledore told me to expect you. Well come in, come in. We don't need the boy to spot you out here just yet." He wondered what boy as the woman ushered him in. This thought was stopped short as his senses were assaulted with the sights and…smells of the house.

The rooms were tight and cluttered. Pictures covered the walls. Most were of numerous cats and Severus felt his smile stiffen. Quilts and afghans covered every available and if the smell was anything to go by, they were probably covered in cat fur. Every surface was cluttered with small figurines and pottery. Everything was done in whites and pinks and all the fabrics were covered with garish flowers.

Oh yes, Albus would pay for this. Severus was ushered to an overstuffed couch. He gingerly sat down, trying not to make any more contact with it than necessary. Off toddled the old woman muttering something about making tea for him.

By the time she was back in the room, Severus had no less than five cats near his person. He was not a cat person. He did not like cats and they seemed to know this. A large black fluffy thing was rubbing through his ankles while a tabby had curled up in his lap and was proceeding to clean hard to reach places. One cat sat behind him batting at the ponytail that still held his dark hair away from his face. Another cat had its hind paws on the couch arm and its front paws on Severus' shoulder sniffing at his face. The final cat of the moment was purring as it curled next to his side.

Severus sat stiffly, convinced that if he closed his eyes, he would awake from this nightmare. He blinked and care face to face with the smooshed face of a Persian and had to stop himself from screaming in surprise and frustration. The woman came back into the room with a tea tray. She succeeded in shooing off two of the cats, but the one at his sides and feet were now comfortably asleep and were not moving. The one in his lap gave the old woman a look and lifted a leg and continued to clean its nether regions.

Severus' hands twitched. One little zap and these little creatures would be running for cover. They would never bother him again. He almost smiled at the thought, but one look at the woman and he knew that she would fight to the death for her fuzzy little…things. Severus shuddered and attempted to lightly nudge the cat at his feet away. It just caused the cat to yawn and lay more fully on his feet.

The woman was now talking to him. It was some rambling story about some cat or another and Severus felt his attention wander. Oh yes, Albus deserved to die, but it would have to be slow and very painful. Severus felt a grin grow as he sipped his watery tea. First he would pull his eyes out through his nose. Next he would attach gold pieces to various portions of his body. He would then leave Albus in a room with a niffler and let the little create go to town. Oh yes, nothing that would cause instant death. No that would be too good for the old coot.

Severus felt the smile grow and a giggle caught in his throat. Next he would have to feed certain body parts to the local hippogriffs. Yes, first the feet and then the hands. He would then strings Albus up by his ears. He would then bring in the merpeople in to sing. Above water the sweet songs were enough to make your ears bleed. Then he would take a blunt spoon. His heart would be the last to go. Yes, a big blunt spoon in order to dig his heart out. The laugh escaped and the felt rather than saw the old woman sit back.

"It is not something to laugh at my boy."

That was enough to bring Severus back from the insanity that was consuming him. He shook his head. The woman was glaring at him. He cleared his throat. "I am sorry. It was a rather long day and I am afraid my mind was wandering. What were we talking about?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "The boy."

Severus felt his mind react sluggishly. "The boy?"

"Honestly. Dumbledore said he was sending help to check on the boy. I would have expected someone with more brains. A boys health and safety is at stake."

"Potter? We are talking about Potter?"

"Of course we are talking about Harry. He is the reason you are here. I was just explaining that it has been some time since they left him in my care, but it will not be much longer before they go on another family trip and they will drop him off here. If you find yourself here on Friday you will be able to better talk to him one on one since that is the next planned trip."

"You watch Potter?" Yes he really needed sleep. His brain just was not functioning.

"Goodness, you really were out of it. Yes, they live just down there. They don't like to take him with them on family trips so they send him here. I usually watch him a few times a month. I think this time is a trip to the coast so I will get him all weekend. They have no consideration for the poor boys feelings. They take him no where. They shut him up in the house all day long. They want him out of sight out of mind. Absolutely disgusting." The woman went off for another few minutes about the treatment Harry received with his relatives. Finally Severus decided to interrupt. If he didn't he would never get her to stop.

"So his house is near here?" Well at least it wasn't just a way to torture him. Obviously Albus had planned that Severus could check on home life as well. It didn't mean that Severus wasn't still going to kill the old coot. Severus began to massage his temples wearily. At the woman's nod he stood up. "Could you show me please?"

The faster he got this over with the faster he could go to bed. He would do a quick check now and one more in the morning. The old woman took him outside and was able to point out a small well kept house. After listening to the woman rant about Harry's treatment he had expected a house that was a bit run down.

"It seems like a quiet enough house."

"Well of course it is. They don't want any attention drawn to that nephew of theirs, so they don't really let him out much. He goes out to do the yard and weeding and that's about it. Never seen him with friends or anything. When they leave they call me to drop him off. I have seen some terrible things." Again Severus tuned out the woman. She was getting ready for a large ranting session, he could feel it.

Instead he focused on the small child that had just emerged from the house. He was carrying a small garbage bag in his left hand. Severus watched as the child struggled with the lid to the trash and finally managed to get it open. He stared as he tried to rehook the lid on. The child had obviously hurt his right hand.

It dawned on Severus just then. Of course, he had been struggling with that hand all day. He felt his stomach drop. Was he left handed by nature? Severus turned from the house. He could no longer watch. How could he have missed something like that? The child had never once complained. He had merely nodded and redone his work. He walked slowly into the house with an irate Mrs. Figg following.

She began to talk to his back as he sat on the couch again. His head went into his hands. This gesture seemed to quiet the woman. "I am glad to see my words have finally sunk in."

Severus felt his irritation well up. He wanted to yell at the woman that all she was doing was talking. Her talking was not helping the boy. He didn't want to explain to her that he was affected by the fact that he had missed some very serious signs today. He stood.

"If you don't mind Mrs. Figg, I am very tired and I have a lot to think about. I would like to go to bed so that I may check on the child again tomorrow morning before school." This seemed to calm the irritable woman.

She led him back to a cold dusty guest room. It had the same feel as the rest of the house. But even the frilly covers and the three sleeping cats could draw him away from his thoughts. That night it was not the smell of cabbage that kept him up. It was old memories of his childhood. Sleep was a long time in coming.

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Ok, I wanted this to be a light hearted chapter. But sadly it was not meant to be, at least towards the end. Thank you thank you thank you to almightyswot for the awesome idea about an insane Snape and the spoon. You rock. Ok, well it took forever to update, but here it is. Sorry, I have three stories going now and writers block, so I hope it will clear up soon. Next chapter should be up sooner next time. Thanks for the reviews and the reads.


	6. Confrontations

Ok, so I went away for a weekend and I had all these ideas for all my stories and I get home and my computer died. It will not turn on! ARGH! So I have spent all week working on fixing it. Sorry I have not updated in awhile. It is finally fixed (cross your fingers). Then I get home only to leave again for a funeral. Basically it has been a really tough couple of weeks. Anyways, I am so sorry I did not post in so long. I really will try harder. I do hope you enjoy this chapter however. Ok, enough excuses, on with the show.

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Severus awoke the next morning feeling as if his brain would explode. Never once had it turned off. After he had finally managed to fall asleep, his brain made sure he remembered the boy a few houses over. He had dreamed of young Potter and the horrors that could be happening in that house right now. He thought about everything, from the hurt arm to the quiet disposition. It made Severus just a bit sick.

It was not so much the idea that someone could hurt a child. Severus knew far too well that anyone could hurt a child. It was something he had come to terms with. What made him so sick was that he had missed it for as long as he had. Any other child and the observant potions mater would have suspected something amiss in a second. But because of his heritage, Severus had written the boy off as a bad egg from the very start. He had assumed that the child was doing things for attention rather than because he had to.

A voice inside spoke to him. _But isn't this why Albus sent you? Because he knew you would be like this regarding Potter? He knew you would see the boy as a nuisance, as a copy of his father. If the child really needed help, if you saw that he needed help, then no one would question it. They would not question the boy's removal. _

Slowly Severus rose to prepare for the day. He felt a bit better having had a conversation with himself. As he stood under the spray of the hot shower, he began to plan.

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Severus watched as the children began to file into the room. He stood, tall and opposing in front of his desk. As each child entered, he would stare them down, determined that these children know who was in charge. It was a strategy that he used with his new first years all the time. Do not allow them to see any weakness, and you will survive. Surprisingly it seemed to be working. The children were attentive and well behaved. If anyone made a sound, he would merely turn his hard gaze on them and they would quiet instantly.

He ran through some of the plans he had created with the principal last night. Most of her ideas included 'positive reinforcement' and Severus shuddered at the thought. It was just not in him to constantly praise children. As far as he was concerned, you knew it or you didn't. If you didn't know it, he was not going to waste valuable time babying you along. You needed to take the initiative to catch up.

This feeling of confidence and hard looks seemed to work and he had some of the ideas tucked away for further use later. Not all of the principal's ideas were about praising, and some of them he thought could be quite effective. He knew that his glares would work for a bit, but unless he showed the children that he meant business, they would not fully believe he would do anything.

If he did not follow through with children who were disruptive, he would not be able to control the class. He was given a chance to prove that he was not all bark when the first disruption of the day commenced. Two children decided that they were finished with their individual work and they did not need to wait quietly as instructed. One boy was the rather large one. Dumbly? Tursley? Something like that.

Severus placed a smile on his face. It was not a smile designed to make you feel good about things. It was one that would strike fear into the heart of the bravest man. It was a smile that sent shivers down your spine. The class seemed to stop in time. The two boys continued to talk. Severus cleared his voice just behind them. The two jumped out of their seats and turned to face the imposing man.

His voice was low. "Gentlemen, am I to take it that your little conversation was more important than the instructions I gave you?"

The two boys looked up in fear. They gulped. The small one spoke first. "Sir?"

"Well," Severus continued in a conversational tone. "I gave specific instructions that there was to be no noise."

The fat one stepped forward, determined to prove to his friends he wasn't scared of some stupid substitute. Severus had seen his type before. All talk. His smile widened as the fat one spoke. "We are all finished with our work?"

"Are you now? Well aren't you … special then? Tell me, what were my instructions if you did finish your work?" He looked at the two boys. Neither spoke but glared at him with a mixture of fear and defiance. "No answer? Pity. Then let me remind you. You were to sit quietly and read. Now I do not believe they were difficult instructions to understand."

He paused, giving the boys time to answer. They stood quietly, not saying a word. Severus' voice became hard and his smile vanished, leaving a frown. The boys stepped back just a touch. "Now either you are too stupid to comprehend my instructions or you blatantly ignored them. Now which is it?"

The students seemed shocked. Finally the fat one spoke up. "I'm not stupid. Just ask me mum."

"Well then, you must have been disobeying me on purpose. You will stay in from your lunch to write an apology letter to me. I imagine that a child such as yourself can afford to miss a lunch or two." Severus turned to the small one. "And what about you?" The child looked back and forth with wide eyes from the fat one to Severus.

Finally he looked to the floor and mumbled. "I forgot."

Severus barked. "I can't hear you." They child looked up wide eyed. "I forgot sir. It won't happen again."

"Yes, well to make sure of that, I will have you write a small letter explaining to me how you will not forget again. You will come in for lunch as well." The two boys mumbled and shuffled to their seats. Severus glanced up at the clock. "It appears that it is time to release you for now. I will expect you all back promptly and sitting quietly."

The children stood up, giving him wary glances. No one ran like the day previous. They were completely silent as they exited the room. He watched as they slowly moved past him. One of the last to leave the room was young Harry potter. He moved slowly, his head hung low. To a casual observer, he would look the picture of a dejected young boy. As Severus looked closer, he realized that the boy was smiling. Nothing big and more of a smirk really. Now why would he be smirking?

Severus watched as the fat boy shoved right into Potter in his haste to exit the room. It only seemed to cause Harry to smile more. Severus, now a bit confused, spoke. "Mr. Potter, kindly remain for a moment." Harry looked up and the smile vanished.

This was something Severus had been avoiding all morning. That did not mean he had been lax in his observation of the child. He had walked by Harry's desk a number of times to observe the boy at work. He boy had been hard at work, using his left hand as his right lay curled in his lap. He had been slow and deliberate with his writing. As he watched, he became more and more agitated about the meeting he knew must now take place. He did not know what he was going to say to the child and he knew that no matter what, it was going to be awkward. Harry approached the desk with absolute silence. He stood with his hands to his sides and a neutral expression on his face. Once everyone had exited the room he looked Severus in the eyes.

"You wanted to see me sir?"

Severus did not speak. He stood, staring at the boy, hoping that if he did not talk, the young man would confess everything and there would be no awkward questions. This was a tactic he used on many students that worked well. Enough silence, and they would talk just to fill the silence. It led to many a confession without Severus saying a word.

Apparently this would not work in this case. After a full five minutes, Severus felt the tables turn. He now felt the need to talk, to fill the silence. Harry had not moved a muscle. He had stood, calm and quiet, waiting for Severus to speak. It was unnerving to see a child so small so quiet.

Finally Severus broke down. He was damned if the boy would win entirely however. He decided on a different tactic. He sighed. "Are you right handed or left handed, Mr. Potter?"

This seemed to confuse the young boy and Harry blinked. "Sir?"

If silence didn't work, he would try for confusion. "It is a simple question requiring a simple answer."

"I'm right handed…Sir."

Severus nodded. "Then kindly explain to me why you have been writing with your left hand."

The boys shocked expression left and a stony mask took its place. "I am afraid I don't know what you are talking about."

"Sir." Severus prompted the boy.

He watched as Harry gritted his teeth at being corrected. "Sir."

"Well, I have been watching you all day, and you have been writing with your left hand. I want to know why someone would do something like that."

Harry remained silent. Severus tried again to outwait the child, but was met with complete silence. Minutes stretched out and before Severus could say another word, a bell rang. Harry finally spoke. "May I take my seat sir?"

Before Severus could respond, Harry had turned and walked away just as the other child filed into class, just as silent as he had wanted them to be. Severus glance up, but Harry was refusing to meet his eyes. As class resumed, he found it difficult to not pull the child aside and demand answers. But the child was being stubborn and now was writing with his right hand. It looked painful to even hold a pencil, but the child was doing it.

He looked up once and tossed a defiant look at his teacher. Severus frowned. And here he thought he was different than his father. It was frustrating to say the least. The child was now refusing to even admit something was wrong with his hand. It was enough to drive Severus up the wall. He could feel the anger build up in himself. How dare the child act to…so…childish!

Severus was so lost in his thoughts that he did not even notice when lunch rolled around. He was ready to stop Harry, ready to demand answers. Just as he approached the boy, Harry looked up. Harry glanced over Severus' shoulder. "I would watch out sir, Dudley and Calvin are sneaking off to lunch." The child's voice was low, quiet enough that no one else could hear. Severus turned around.

He could not let them go. It would ruin the fragile control he had managed to gain over the class. He had to follow through. He turned to the boys in question. "Ah yes, I am glad you boys remembered our lunch date." The boys frowned at him. "Please take your seats, I will be right with you."

Severus turned to continue his conversation with Harry, but the boy was already gone. Severus silently cursed he child and his parentage. He was now in a foul mood, and turned to the only other occupants in the room. The scowl did not bode well for them.

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Ok, there you go. Hope you like it. Thanks to all the reviewers. I really don't remember who I have responded to and who I haven't so I will try to get caught up on review responses this week. I just wanted to get this written and posted before my comp dies again. Thanks for reading.


	7. Talking with Teachers

Severus awoke in a foul mood. It had taken hours to fully fall asleep and then his dreams had been plagued with memories of his childhood, and yet in his dreams it was not his face he saw. Instead he saw a young boy with a mop of brown hair and deep emerald eyes.

He awoke to find one of the many cats hacking up a hairball all over his feet. So his lack of sleep and the smell of cat puke had put him in a foul mood. But he was determined that he would talk to the boy today. He would get to the bottom of this.

However the world seemed to conspire against him. He was already in a foul mood when he found out that the boy in question was not in his class that morning. It seemed that every other brat had made it to school, so why not the brat he was supposed to watch for a week. Severus felt his temper flare. He only agreed to this pitiful little job because he had been manipulated and now the only reason was not there.

Severus was sure he would get to the bottom of this. He stared at the little faces in front of him. His voice went cold. "Well it seems that not all of your classmates feel the need to be here. Where is Potter?"

No one said a word. Wide eyes stared at him nervously. Finally a small girl broke down with a quiet voice. "He is at the nurse's office sir."

He saw the child flinch as he moved in closer to her, his dark eyes intense. "Oh, and what was your Mr. Potter doing at the nurse's office?" He ignored the part of him that worried just a touch at the thought of could have happened. Why the boy hadn't been taken to the nurse for a swollen arm what would he go to the nurse for?

"Umm, he fell off the slide this morning. He hurt his arm pretty bad. A teacher sent him to the nurse." Severus merely nodded to the child but in his mind he was cursing. It was obvious what the boy was doing. He had noticed Severus watching his arm and now he had an excuse for the injury and an excuse not to see his teacher for a bit to create a story.

Severus sneered at the children around him. If it was bad enough, he probably wouldn't see Potter for awhile. That was his last thought about Potter before class began. It was going to be a huge migraine day.

XXXXXX

Severus was never so grateful for lunch break. The children were loud and obnoxious and he was desperately fighting back an urge to hex them all, or at least silence them for awhile. He made it through the morning imagining the peace and quiet that would come if only he could silence them all and glue their little backsides to their chairs. Or he could turn them all into rats and use them in a few potions. Yes, he liked that idea. Of course then he would have to explain their disappearances not only to parents but to Albus as well.

At recess someone had come in to say that Potter had been sent to the hospital to have a cast placed on his arm and he would not be returning to school that day. So much for getting to the bottom of the arm issue.

Oh well, at least it was lunch and he could finally get away from all the bumbling children. He had gotten into the habit of eating in the room by himself. All the other teachers wanted to talk. They wanted to know how he was doing and he had no desire to indulge them.

However today he had decided would not go to waste. He entered the teachers lounge and found the kindergarten and 1st grade teachers sitting around enjoying their lunch. As he had predicted they were eager to hear how his week had gone. One woman was a jovial thing, rather large with curling hair dyed a hideous blonde. She was sickeningly happy when she heard which class he had taken over.

"My my, you have some interesting ones in that class. Have you had any difficulties with young Dursley or his little friends?"

He smirked. "Hardly. They know a disciplinarian when they see one."

She laughed at that and he could feel his teeth clamp down. The sound was grating. "Well, boys will be boys I say and those would definitely be boys. Not like his little cousin. No two different boys out there. Oh no. Little Potter is the complete opposite. Prefers to be on his own that one does. No friends really. Not that I think he really cares mind you."

She was interrupted by a young woman off to the side. "I wouldn't say that, Betty. He was very outgoing when I had him. At least for awhile."

Severus saw this as an opening. He turned to the younger teacher. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, well, he was just so excited and enthusiastic when he first came to school. Did you know that he had quite a vivid imagination? Always making up stories about magic and such. He was very popular too. Very liked by the other children. Quite honestly I think he would have been an outstanding student but a few weeks into school and he started to draw back into himself. Few of the other students would be seen next to him and he would just raise his head up high and walk past them all. And all this at just five years old."

Severus nodded, recognizing some of the symptoms of abuse and now angry at himself for not noticing it right away. Considering his background, you would think it would be forefront on his mind. "Any reason for the behavior change?"

She shrugged. "Not that I know of. He kept up with his studies. He just became quiet. He was a bit accident prone. He was constantly falling off the swings. Came in from recess with bumps and bruises and broken glasses all the time."

The loud woman broke in again. "All too true Liz. Very accident prone. He was always bumping into desks and tripping. Course I didn't get him until about half way through the year. But very quiet. Hmmm, how is he doing? Still in his cousin's class?"

"Yes." Severus nodded. He let it drop but young Liz spoke up.

"You know, I warned his aunt about that. I told her it was not good to have them in the same class. Too much competition I believe. She wouldn't hear of it though. Seemed to think that having Dudley in Harry's class would help Harry. She seemed to think that Harry was a bit dimwitted if you know what I mean."

Before more could be said a bell rang. Liz looked up. "Oh dear, my afternoon kids will be here soon. Enjoy lunch everyone."

Loud obnoxious Betty soon followed after. "I should make sure everything is ready for my little dears. They are always so energetic after lunch." With a smile and a wave he was left with the other teachers still at lunch. Figuring he could learn little else, Severus left as well. If he was quick, he could allow fifteen minutes of quiet to help reduce his headache. Something told him he was going to need it.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Severus wandered back to the cat house slowly. Good lord, one more day down. Only a few more to go and he could go back to his life. He was tired and grumpy and he was still no closer to an answer to his problem. At the start of this week he had expected to walk in and out and back to Albus with stories of the spoiled spawn of James Potter. Now he wasn't really sure what was going on and it was getting troublesome.

If something was really wrong with the boy today proved to Severus that it would be difficult to get the boy to say anything. Without his confession there was little he could do about changing the situation. He could take his observations to Albus, but they were just speculation. He had no confirmation of those suspicions and he could not ask for the removal of the child without solid proof.

As Severus neared the neighborhood his eyes strayed to a small front door. There was no sign of the small boy that lived inside the walls. It was then that Severus made his decision. Without a backwards glance, he turned around. If the boy would not come to him, he would go to the boy. He was going to get to the bottom of this. But first he needed to take care of something at the school.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sorry it took so long to update. I know how I want this to end and the pieces in the middle, but it is taking the time to write it out. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with it. OK, off to update the next one.


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